Hell, when it came to Grant Twombley, the traitor could do all four strokes with the skill of an Olympian.
Yeeaah… I was so fucked.
Chapter Five
Grant
What was this woman doing to me? Seriously. How did she whittle through my normally impenetrable veneer and see right to my truth? Usually, I could hide my genuine emotions. It was a skill that was meticulously honed as a young boy because my mother was an opportunist. If that woman noticed I was particularly fond of something, that was the first thing she sold. After all, drug money didn’t come easily to the terminally unemployed. If she witnessed me having a close friendship with another kid, he was the one I was forbidden to see. “When you let people get too close, they exploit your weaknesses,” she preached. The truth was she wanted to be the main focus of my attention and love. Always. Her insecurities ran so deeply, even another child in my orbit threatened her. All that and the low-quality meth she smoked, snorted, or on occasion shot into a vein made her paranoid. It was all shitty behavior for a grown woman playing her hand at Mommy and all so sad when I thought about it as an adult.
So fucking sad.
“You good, Tree?” Rio, who was still perched by my feet on the bed, tweaked my big toe, and I gave my head a little shake.
Begone, ghosts of shitty past!
“Yeah, sorry. For some reason, my head is all over the place right now,” I said softly.
“Maybe because you never just take time to unwind?” Rio proposed. “Think about it. When’s the last time you took a vacation? Even a long weekend and just did something other than Sebastian Shark’s bidding?”
“I don’t do his bidding,” I scoffed.
She let her head flop over to one side and gave me a look that screamed, “Bullshit.” And yeah, she was probably right, but I wasn’t about to admit that to her.
Instead, feeling defensive, I nearly spat, “My job involves a lot more than doing what Bas tells me to do. I have responsibilities completely independent of him.” With that, I swung my legs off the bed and searched for my clothes. I wasn’t typically uncomfortable being naked around her, but something about that comment had me feeling vulnerable and insecure. Two more feelings I wasn’t familiar with. Again, I asked myself, how was she doing this? What was it about Rio Gibson that brought out emotions I buried long, long ago? Feelings I had no interest in suffering through now, either.
My shorts and boxers were in a twisted heap beside the bed, and I had to take a moment to untangle the garments before I could put them back on. Frustrated, I jammed my legs in and yanked them into place, glaring at the floor while doing so.
“Hey…” she said quietly, and when I didn’t meet her gaze, she spoke my name in that lush, husky tone that made my pulse spike. “Grant.” She waited until I found her whiskey stare. “What’s going on? What did I say that pissed you off?”
“I’m not pissed,” I said, wincing at the petulance in my tone.
“Come on.” She paused, and I thought she’d drop it there. But no such luck. The woman continued pressing me instead. “Normally, you’re much more agreeable after sex. Something’s definitely got your pants in a bunch. Literally.” Her soft smile turned to a giggle as we both looked down to see I had yanked my shorts on backward.
With a heavy sigh, I sank back onto the bed beside her to fix my clothes. “It wasn’t you. Sorry, Blaze. Just got caught up in some shitty memories. I shouldn’t be letting old news get to me.” Once I straightened my bottoms, I couldn’t help but touch her again. I scooped her hand up and laced my fingers through hers. “I have a deal to propose. But hear me out before you shoot it down.”
“Oh, Christ, not one of your deals,” she complained, trying to pull her hand away.
Her protesting gesture just made me grip on tighter. “This one’s all for your benefit, trust me.”
She was the one to sigh in resignation this time. “Let’s hear it, and I’ll judge for myself.”
“I think that until we pull into port in Hawaii, there should be nothing but rest and relaxation for you. All day, every day.”
“That’s not too hard to agree to, Mr. Twombley. What’s the catch?”